My niece needs help with essay on Lord of the Flies. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MarsLady]

The question is: Examine how the sense of order on the island deteriorates over the course of the novel. Now I know that you clever ladies can help me, otherwise I'll be here forever. BTW she's sat next to me...

Um, let's think ....

She needs to trace the deterioration step by step, looking at how initially trivial episodes escalate/snowball into disaster, and how group hysteria overrules the individual boys' consciences ....

She'll have to start by looking at the boys' initial good intentions, and any hints at their fragility that Golding builds in from the start ...

She should also look at the PACE of deterioration - as a good storyteller WG probably accelerates things as the book goes on - worth noting this as it's part of his skill as a novelist

Don't know if I can help with the essay, but if she wants to impress the teacher she can tell her that the whole premice of the plot around Piggy's glasses is a load of crap. A lot is made of the fact that Piggy is short sighted. They then use his glasses to make a fire. Sorry! Wrong sort of lenses. Short sight glasses don't focus light in that way!

I think the key point is supposed to be whan they find the body of the pilot. His landing was supposed to represent the order of the outside world arriving on the island, and by dying is shows just how cut off the island is, and them anarachy reigns.

But what do I know, I'm a science teacher

I did this at school for GSCE. If I remeber there was one boy who was the leader but hysteria takes over and they all go a bit mad. I have a copy upstairs. I'll read it later and let you know

I thank you

It's decades since I read this book so can't be all that specific - is this the kind of thing she's looking for?

lokk look

I seem to remember that WG's premise revolves around the idea of original sin - that we're all 'born bad', and without the (unnatural) rules and regulations imposed by civilised society, we will all swiftly revert to our natural, vicious state.

So your niece could identify early indications that any 'order' comes from artificial constraints they have carried with them from the outside world, and then the moments at which the boys gradually acknowledge that these constraints no longer apply here.

Loving you Cockle. You've gotten us started. I'm sleep deprived pretending to be intellectual auntie. thank you. This is giving her a fab heads up on it. And as for you Coddy... brilliant link. Thanks sending lots of kisses to you both

Hope she gets top marks. Oh how I loved English!

thanks cockle I loved english too

OO I did that one too - all I remember was the bit about killing the pig ("Kill the Pig, Stick the Pig")- probably scarred me for life!

the conch represents the sense of order and symbolises rules. When it is smashed, so is the sense of order on the island. Simon, the ' strange' one , is deliberately murdered by Jack's gang, referred to as ' savages' , and there are distinct parallels between the way he is murdered and the crucifixion.When Piggy is thrown from the rocks, this is the last vestige of truth and sense being demolished.Golding also uses pathetic fallacy a great deal and the storms become more and more powerful as the savages take over.Look also at the way the treatment of the pigs gets more and more violent, culminating on the head impaled on the stick - known as the ' lord of the flies' or Beelzebub.He is a symbol of evil and Jack worships him - devil worship? I love teaching this novel!have done it loads of times but never tire of it.

donnie, thank god you're a teacher! Thought you were remembering all that from your schooldays for a minute!

no chance! mind you I do remember writing very boring essays on weight loss and exercise for good old fashioned Eng Lang O level!!!!

BTW there is a very good black and white film of the book , made in the 60s I think.

I hated the book
did i t for o level

have just asked dh (it was practically his question at 0-level...it was 28 years ago) but he is exceptionally good at English)...what do you want to know?